法華義疏 9.240

9.240

「智積問」下，第三、明龍女成佛，歎經速疾力。亦有七章：一、問；二、答；三、設難；四、龍女來；五、身子難；六、龍女舉譬答；七、明時眾悟道。「文殊師利言」下，第二文也。「於剎那頃發菩提心得成佛」者，《伽耶山頂經》明有四種發心：一、初發心，謂入初地；二、行發心，二地至七地；三、不退發心，謂八九地；四、一生補處發心，謂第十地。龍女發心成佛，是第四義也。然十信菩薩亦能八相成道，位不可知也。又適化無方，可有四句：一、遲方便，如十劫坐道場；二、速方便，龍女剎那成佛；三、亦遲亦速，如釋迦六年，形此二種是也；四、非遲非速，如淨土中成佛。不論遲速又四句：一、男身成道，則釋迦之流。二、女身成佛，別有經云佛出女國作女身成佛。三、亦男亦女，則龍女是也，本是女變為男。四、非男非女非天非人，如淨土成佛。又三句：一、出家成佛，如釋迦。二、在家成佛，如《智度論》云「天王佛是，故不須鉢及袈裟」，則調達成佛號天王佛是也。三者、俱非，謂淨土佛。又三句：一、童真成佛，龍女是也。二、非童真成佛，釋迦是也。三、俱非，淨土中佛。所以如斯不同者，良由體無礙之道故有無礙之用，適無方之緣、應無窮之益，若然者不應疑云此品非佛說，蓋是有限之情局無方之化耳。「智積菩薩言」下，第三、作難也。「言論未訖」下，第四、龍女來。「爾時舍利弗」下，第五、身子作難也。「爾時龍女」下，第六、龍女舉喻總答二人難也。「爾時娑婆世界」下，第七、明時眾悟道得益。

From "Prajñākūṭa asked" onward is the third: explaining the dragon girl's attaining buddhahood, praising the sūtra's swift power. It also has seven sections: first, question; second, answer; third, raising an objection; fourth, the dragon girl's arrival; fifth, Śāriputra's objection; sixth, the dragon girl citing an analogy to reply; seventh, explaining the assembly's awakening to the path. From "Mañjuśrī said" onward is the second text. As for "in the space of an instant developing the bodhicitta and being able to attain buddhahood," the *Gayāśīrṣa Sūtra* explains four kinds of generating the [bodhi]citta: first, initial generation of the mind, referring to entering the first bhūmi; second, practicing generation of the mind, from the second to the seventh bhūmi; third, non-retrogressing generation of the mind, referring to the eighth and ninth bhūmis; fourth, one-lifetime-remaining generation of the mind, referring to the tenth bhūmi. The dragon girl generating the mind and attaining buddhahood is this fourth meaning. However, a bodhisattva of the ten faiths can also manifest the eight phases of attaining the path, so the stage cannot be definitively known. Furthermore, adapting to convert beings is without fixed form, admitting four propositions: first, slow expedient means, like sitting in the bodhimaṇḍa for ten kalpas; second, swift expedient means, like the dragon girl attaining buddhahood in an instant; third, both slow and swift, like Śākyamuni's six years, which stands in comparison to these two; fourth, neither slow nor swift, like attaining buddhahood in a pure land. Regardless of speed, there are again four propositions: first, attaining the path in a male body, as in the manner of Śākyamuni; second, attaining buddhahood in a female body, as another sūtra states that a buddha appears in a land of women and attains buddhahood in a female body; third, both male and female, as in the case of the dragon girl, who was originally female and transformed into a male; fourth, neither male nor female, neither god nor human, like attaining buddhahood in a pure land. There are also three propositions: first, attaining buddhahood as a renunciant, like Śākyamuni; second, attaining buddhahood as a householder, as the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says, "This is King of the Gods Buddha, hence he does not need a bowl or kāṣāya robe," which refers to Devadatta's attaining buddhahood named King of the Gods Buddha; third, neither, referring to the buddhas in pure lands. There are also three propositions: first, attaining buddhahood in youthful purity (kumārabhūta), as in the case of the dragon girl; second, attaining buddhahood not in youthful purity, as in the case of Śākyamuni; third, neither, the buddhas in pure lands. The reason for these differences is truly that by embodying the unhindered Path, there is unhindered functioning, adapting to formless conditions and responding with inexhaustible benefit. If so, one should not harbor doubts, claiming that this chapter was not spoken by the Buddha; that is merely narrow, limited sentiment circumscribing formless conversion. From "Bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa said" onward is the third: raising an objection. From "Before the discussion was concluded" onward is the fourth: the dragon girl's arrival. From "At that time Śāriputra" onward is the fifth: Śāriputra raising an objection. From "At that time the dragon girl" onward is the sixth: the dragon girl citing an analogy to answer the objections of both persons together. From "At that time the sahā world" onward is the seventh: explaining the assembly of the time awakening to the path and obtaining benefit.